July 29, 2003/WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Labor Department has awarded a
$1.9 million grant to the National Institute for Metalworking Skills
(NIMS) to give a 21st century facelift to existing metalworking apprenticeship
programs. The new model will use industry proficiency standards established
by NIMS to provide a consistent credentialing system for metalworking
occupations.
“This Administration wants to help young people starting out as well
as displaced workers looking for new opportunities to get into good
jobs with promising futures,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
“Today’s grant will help targeted workers to quickly develop the needed
skills and competencies to move up the career ladder of their choice.”
The grant will allow NIMS to develop curriculum guides for the four
metalworking occupational areas -- metal forming, machining, tool
and die making, and machine building. The guide will address competencies
required, standardized paths to move up or within an occupational area,
and ways to move across metalworking occupations.
Students enrolled in the program will receive national credentials that
are consistent across the industry and can be used by metalworking companies
in making recruitment, hiring, training and promotional decisions.
Unlike time-based apprenticeship programs, the competency based program
will allow motivated workers to move at a quicker pace in acquiring
the skill, knowledge and ability needed to advance.
Working with the Labor Department’s Office of Apprenticeship Training,
Employer and Labor Services, NIMS hopes to take the model apprenticeship
program to companies, training providers and association members nationwide.
The organization also plans to use local One-Stop Career Centers to
recruit job seekers for training and career opportunities in the metalworking
industry.
“Today’s training programs must be flexible, competency-based, economical
and efficient in order to move people quickly into good jobs with good
futures,” said Emily Stover DeRocco, assistant secretary of labor for
employment and training. “This apprenticeship program is unique in that
it gives job seekers an opportunity to advance along a career path at
their own pace and provides incumbent workers with a map for promotion
or career change within the industry.”
NIMS Board member James B. McGregor, President of Ohio Stamping and
Machine, said “ The project will enable the industry to dramatically
improve its training system. The award is a clear indication of the
Department of Labor’s understanding of our needs and the importance
of a highly skilled workforce being central to the metalworking industry’s
ability to compete in today’s global manufacturing environment.”
NIMS represents over a dozen industry partners, including the Association
for Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling and Machining Association,
the Precision Metalforming Association, the American Machine Tool Distributors
Association, the Tooling and Manufacturing Association, and the Precision
Machine Products Association.
The Labor Department grant is leveraged by $7.4 million in private investment
funds used to develop the skill standards system that will be the technical
basis of the updated, competency-based apprenticeship program.
Click here to view
more current news articles
WE WANT YOUR
FEEDBACK.
